Keeping Your Data Safe - Scheduled Tape Backup

This is the traditional way of protecting your data. In this, a tape drive copies all of your critical data to a removable tape. This usually runs at night or when your office is closed or when your computer is least used. This is an automated routine that only requires the operator to switch tapes each day. If you already have a tape backup routine in place, here are a couple of tips to help you increase productivity and reduce downtime:

Schedule the backups to run automatically during off-peak hours
This way, the backup process does not slow down your computer or network. Also, some files cannot be backed up if they are in use. For example if you are entering data into your accounting program, your accounting data may not be backed up because you already have it open.

Rotate the tapes routinely
Tape rotation allows you to have multiple backups available in the event that a backup failed or if you need to retrieve a file that was deleted before the last backup.

***Test the backup routinely***
When it comes to your data and your sanity, the price for peace of mind is your persistent vigilance regarding the integrity of your backup. It is important to routinely restore a portion of your data on a regular basis.

Protect Your Investment

At least once a week you open up the newspaper and another business has been destroyed by fire, vandalism or other natural disasters. Most people think of the loss of the building, equipment and jobs. What about the years of data that was lost? How much would it cost and what kind of time would it take to reproduce and rebuild this critical data? Many times a proper disaster plan can get you up and running in a couple of days or even a couple of hours if production time is critical. There are many ways to protect your data from being lost.

Other Methods of Data Protection

Manual Backup
For small networks or single computer where a tape backup might not be cost effective, a manual backup of you data can save you money while providing the same level of data integrity as a tape backup. The trade off is that a user will have to manually copy the files to the disk or CD each and every night. This takes up an employees time and opens up the possibility of missing a backup.

Remote Backup
Remote backup is a way to backup your vital data off-site every night over the Internet. This eliminate the possibility of not taking a tape off site and gives you the extra peace of mind that you data is secure on a separate computer miles away from your location.

Redundant Data Storage
In the event that your hard drive crashes, wouldn't it be nice to be able to plug in a new drive and continue your daily business? There are two drive configurations you could employ to achieve this.